The Irish standard., 1887-08-13

defects Of organization that constitutes
the basis of the objections that were so
so glibly and freely aimed at its prede-
cessor. It's members were delegated,
either by the leading associations of all
the large towns and cities, or by great
public meetings of persons Of all classes
interested in The congress. at these
great local gatherings, the principal OBJ
ject Of the organization was discussed
and enthusiastically applauded, and the
delegates thus elected proceeded to con-
slider the political condition Of India
not only as men who i'll their repre-
sentative capacity possessed the con-
lidence of their constituents, but as
delegates commissioned to voice the
resolution already approved OF by those
whom they represented. 1t would be
impossible to exaggerate the import
ance to be attached to declarations made
under circumstances Of such tre-
mendous weight, where the applause
that found expression within the hall OF
congress but echoed the sentiments that
are surging in the hearts of the much
suffering population in India. There
were in all about 500 gentlemen elected
as delegates TO The national congress,
and of these 44344 443344 attended. Some Of the
delegates, when {roeeedingto to Calcutta,
we're made the objects Of public ova-
lions by the inhabitants of the districts
which they represented, and in many
places they we're accompanied to the
boats or railway stations by immense
crowds Of supporters Of the movement,
The Hon. Dadabhia Naoroji was elected
president of the c ngress on the motion
of Baboo Joykissen Moorkejee, one of
the great native landed proprietors and
the Nestor of Bengal conservatism.
The views that were applauded most
loudly at this great Indian congress
were those that would have met with q
similar reception at an Irish National
convention in the Rotunda, 'tSe]fgov-
e1nment," said one speaker, Mr.. Lar-
renda Nath Banerlee, lis the ordering
| OF nature, the will Of Divine Proyidence~
Every nation must be the arbiter Of its
own destinies-such is tho om,lipotent
fact inscribed by nature with her own
hands and in her own eternal book"
Row Sahib s. Narayana Swami Chetty,
speaking TO the same resolution, said:
s'The voice of india has already declared
that this resolution must be re affirmed
and re-atfirmed until its Substance be-
comes the Jaw Of the land. There is no
backward step here now possible foi:
any Of us. Ali the associations, ! may
say the entire population, from one end
uf India to the other. have been con-
snlted On the subject, and all our coun-
trymen, high and low, have declared
that these are their wishes, This the
goal at which they aim. This 1e5ols-
tion has been accepted throughout IN
dia, and not one single Indian voice
throughout the entire Empire has been
raised against it. I think, therefore.
that there need not be any long discus.
sion upon the subject. 1t is simply re-
entire country has already engraved
upon it's heart" Equally emphatic
We're the words Of pandit Thakur Pro-
cad, who spoke in the Urdu tongue:
There is not corner in the country
where folks have not talked over that
resolution and said it was good. Every
man who knows anything, whether he
be an English speaker OF like mys8lf
knows only Indian languages, knows
at least this, that if the country is TO
prosper, we. it's children, who under
stand its ways and wants, must be al
| lowed a share, and a good share, in the
management of it's public affairs" The
following passage from the speech Of
Dr. Rajendralala Mittra shows the
broad basis On which the Indian people
| rest their demand for autonomy: eve
want only one step forward; for nonjna-
tion by the authorities, nomination in
we want election by those whom the
elected are to represent. This is the
primary object Of our agitation with re-
gard to the legislative councils. Let the
representatives be elected. Let the sys-
tenn be whatever the Government in it's
wisdom may think proper, but let the
policy be policy of representation, and
lei there be a sufficient number Of repre-
sentatiyes TO make the feelings and
wants of the people fully heard by the
Government, We live, not under Ma
tional Government, but under foreign
bureaucracy; our foreign rulers are for
eigners by birth, religion, language,
habits, by everything that divides hui
manity into different sections. They
cannot ascertain our wants, our feel
ings, our aspirations. They may Try
their best, and I have no reason to
doubt that many Of our Governors have
tried hard to ascertain our feelings and
our wants; but owing to their peculiar
position, they have failed to ascertain
them. Therefore, what we want is
sufficient number of men to renresent,